Ghost-Note, the band with the “funk you muthafunka” vibes, has been killing it with their new album Swagism, and now you can see how it came about.

I’m not gonna front, Okayplayers… Swagism has not left my rotation since the project dropped on April 20 of this year. It’s a sprawling, adventurous, two-sided effort that shows just how funky the rest of the world is not (blame Trump!). For those unfamiliar with the band started originally by Snarky Puppy’s own Robert “Sput” Searight and Nate Werth.

As time went on and Ghost-Note’s live show began cementing them as a solid performance collective, the band added more members from across the funk-spectrum: Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas Jr., Slyvester Uzoma Onyejiaka II(better known asSly 5th Ave), Anthony “AJ” Brown, Jonathan Mones, Xavier Taplin, andMichael Jelani Brooks.

Now, as Swagism continues to dominate my speakers, plus the #1 position on iTunes Jazz charts — Ghost-Note breaks down the ins, the outs, and all the in-betweens in making Swagism go from concept to reality in this new video titled “Deep In The Swag”. Filmed at The Parlor in beautiful New Orleans during the band’s original recording sessions, “Deep In The Swag” reveals the vibe between the band and guests Weedie Braimah, Nigel Hall, and more. “It’s an incredible journey, ya know, for making a record… to start somewhere and end in a place of protest, speaking your mind, and hoping that peace and love resonate with the listeners,” Nate Walsh said.

“[When Nick Werth transitioned from the group to work on an album due later this year] it forced us to start from scratch and not have any idea of the direction and just let the music come,” Sput Searight told Okayplayer exclusively via email. “People just started to bring stuff to the table and started creating new ideas. It forced us to think on our toes and be open to the person [or personnel] who was in that studio. It [also] allowed for us to have a really open canvas. We didn’t want it to be drum-driven. We wanted it to be music-driven.”

And driven is the right word for Swagism—a sprawling kaleidoscope of sound, passion, funk, and might. Ghost-Note has cracked into a lane where their self-expression, mixed in with tight sonics, and cooked up in an organic and truthful way is not only energetically supported, but infectiously appreciated. Get excited for more from this dope AF band by checking out the video below, supporting the Swagism album here, and keeping a tab open to find out when Ghost-Note will be in a city near you.